eogrÄfiski raksti folia geographica xii - Ä¢eogrÄfijas un Zemes zinÄtÅ†u ...

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GENERAL TREND surroundings of a researcher to the issues that cover the entire Globe. Nowadays, no aspect is considered taboo as a research topic in geography. In research the community of geographers moves flexibly back and forth in time and space from the solid inside of rocks to changing perceptions of people. Communication has always been a significant element in geographers’ activities, from yesterday’s discourses about the discoveries of continents, to today’s real time on-line Internet discussions about the effect of globalization at a local level. Geographers communicate in various fields and through various means: teaching in and outside the academy, commenting publicly in the media, writing in different academic and non-academic journals and textbooks, producing applied reports for governments and private enterprises, and so forth. Many distinguished scholars of the long history of geography have indicated that the emergence of geography was related to the discovery of the world, the colonization of territories, and bridging nation and territory together by providing geographical instruction in schools and necessary information for authorities to organize territories within national borders [Capel 1981; Livingstone 1992]. Over the centuries the production of geographical knowledge has become more complex, so that geography has positioned itself somewhere between natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The scope and activities within geography have significantly broadened during the long history of the discipline – especially during the last decades. Figure 1 makes a brief synthesis of the development of geography from a purely scientific endeavor to a more applied practice and consulting activity. Figure 1. Institutionalisation of geography and production of geographical knowledge. Modified from Granö 1997. During the first, the “classic geography period” from the late 18 th century onwards, geography started to emerge as a separate academic field with its own identity [Granö 1997]. On the one hand, the geographer emerged as a scholar of the scientific academy and founded 8
9 GENERAL TRENDS learned societies.A scholar was a devoted scientist whose aim was to find the truth and to promote geographical discoveries. Academies were the main scientific institutions. On the other hand, along with the establishment of new universities in the early 19 th century, teaching and research were integrated together and first chairs of geography were established (Figure 1). The emergence of geography as university discipline was linked to the early 19 th century Humboldtian ideals of civilization in which the aim of university was to search for truth through the interaction between teachers and students. The autonomy of the university would guarantee the means, methods, and scope of research. This is close to the Habermasian notion of science with practical humanistic interest, where the aim is to expand knowledge through communication [Habermas 1971]. However, in the latter part of the 19 th century the seemingly innocent “what is where” geographical research was used to build up and strengthen the then emerging nation-states [Capel 1981]. The second, the “applied geography period” period, started from the late 19 th century onwards. During that period the scope of geography expanded and the discipline emerged as a normative tool. Besides the academy and the university, the figure of the geographer was connected to specialized institutes devoted fully to research; and to applied colleges devoted to teaching, and to a lesser extent, also research [Granö 1997] (Figure 1). The idea of this new geography as an applied technical field of study can be interpreted as a certain interaction and merging of interest between government and science. Following the early 20 th century Weberian notions about the role of the university, science is an important field through which one can find clear technical solutions for problems of society. The idea of a university is not to be involved in political life or to decide what is right or wrong in society. The aim of the researcher – a geographer, for instance – is to find the truth or the applied solutions for specific problems. Later on politicians decide to implement those solutions that are deemed to be good for the nation [Habermas 1971]. This is linked also to the notion of science as having a technical and rational activity whose aim is to reproduce society [Habermas 1971]. Geography, as many other disciplines during the 20 th century, became a useful normative tool to help the governments of established nation-states to organize and use their national resources most efficiently [Capel 1981]. During the third, the “contemporary geography period”, from the latter part of the 20 th century onwards, the activities in the discipline expanded further. Geography emerged as a contracting and consulting activity in national and international research projects and programs in and outside the university [Granö 1997]. Geographers became appointed to the positions of project researcher, planner of research councils and manager of broad (inter)disciplinary research framework programs (Figure 1). This is linked to the idea of the university as an enterprise that is able to market and sell knowledge. It was found that often it was enough to reflexively modify existing knowledge for particular social and economic contexts, so that basic, fundamental research declined in many fields. Universities became socially and economically fully responsible for their activities and research output was continuously evaluated for its pragmatic relevance. The aim of inter-, trans- and post-disciplinary research programs at the university was to produce new applied knowledge. In short term this can direct the attention away from seminal scientific research. One such trend is the Research Framework Programs of the European Union (EU) that is a cornerstone of EU science policy. Collaborative networks of scientists within the EU have proliferated rapidly and joint projects, research infrastructure, and institutes have become common. According to Frenken (2002, 568), smaller and more peripheral countries of the EU are increasingly integrating into large research framework programs by reducing their national orientation in research over time. Larger and more central countries in the EU are today better integrated in the inter-EU research programs and research collaboration. Scale advantages obviously render larger countries more attractive partners than smaller countries. Geographical publishing and the production of knowledge Geographical knowledge is “textual”, divided between written texts, visual elements such as pictures, photos, and maps, and unwritten everyday experience. There is need for
Page 1 and 2: ĢEOGRĀFISKI RAKSTI FOLIA GEOGRAPH
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Page 5: Preface This is the second issue of
Page 9: Small languages - small geography?
Page 13 and 14: 11 GENERAL TRENDS counted. Almost t
Page 15 and 16: 13 GENERAL TRENDS narrow evaluation
Page 17 and 18: 15 GENERAL TRENDS Jauhiainen, J.S.
Page 19 and 20: 17 NATURE RESEARCH Figure 1. The ap
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Page 23 and 24: General information (Riga) 21 NATUR
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Page 33 and 34: Figure 7. Main: Decadal mean temper
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Page 39 and 40: 37 NATURE RESEARCH Thus, setting in
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59 MAN AND ENVIRONMENT Figure 3. La
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61 MAN AND ENVIRONMENT Gudenieki (1
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63 MAN AND ENVIRONMENT 20 th centur
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Changing patterns of population mob
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67 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY the desire to go
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69 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY After economic d
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71 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY economy has chan
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73 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY Eglīte, P. (199
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75 DEVELOPMENT OF PLACES AND REGION
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85 LANDSCAPES AND CULTURE of that g
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87 LANDSCAPES AND CULTURE (4) wonde
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NORĀDES AUTORIEM Ģeogrāfiski Rak
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